The Hero's Sister
by crazypandagirl
Summary: What if Link had a younger sister that nobody knew about, who was raised by Impa to help him on the Goddess's Mission. See how a lost relative who has always known the Surface aids Link while he can only wonder what is really going on during his search for Zelda. some violence and spoilers for the game but I will do my best to keep it peaceful and not ruin the game.
1. Chapter 1

Lianne POV

"Lady Impa, I fear that something bad is about to happen in the sky at the hand of the Demon Lord." I share my fear.

She sighs and seems to straighten her old, hunched back. "Child, I believe you may be right. I have received a dream from the goddess regarding the descent of the spirit maiden and her hero, but I will do what I can to aid them both, and so will you."

I gape at her. "Me? How could I possibly be of help?" I look down at my hands, feeling my power swirl around underneath my skin, held back by the tribal Sheikah tattoos all over my body. "My power is barely stable, and I'm no good in combat."

My mentor places a wrinkled hand over mine, squeezing gently. "Child, I know you are just nervous. I have raised you from birth in your mother's stead, and I know you are ready for this. The Goddess's mission is soon to begin, and they will both descend. You will do well by them, and you will aid the Hero whenever you think he absolutely needs it. You are so much stronger than this, and you know it."

"But Lady Impa… the Hero is my older brother, you've told me this. But you have never fully divulged why he is in the sky while I am down on the Surface." I gaze into her eyes, just visible through the thick braid wrapped around her face. "What happened that caused me to be here?"

She sighs and pats my arm. "Your mother fell from the sky seventeen years ago, soon after having your brother. From what she told me when I brought her here, she said that she had been flying when a dark tornado caught her from behind, causing her to fall through the cloud barrier. I took care of her for a month before she became ill, and when I cast a spell to see what was wrong, we learned she was pregnant with you." She smiles at the memory. "She was happy that she was going to have you, as you would be something from Skyloft, which she never knew she would have to hold on to. Eight difficult months went by, but when she had you, something happened that I had not foreseen, and she became deathly ill the next day. On her last breath, she asked that I take care of you as if you were my own, and to tell you everything when the time comes for you to return to the sky."

"Mother knew that the mission would occur this soon?" I ask, not entirely clear on how she would know I would return to the sky.

"Yes, she was granted a vision of the hardships to come for your brother, but would not say what the outcome would be. All she knew was that you would be there for him."

I smile slightly, thinking of how wonderful Mother must have been. "What is his name? You've never told me."

"Link." She looks at me for a long moment before casting her gaze downward. "When I took you for my own, I realized you have an extraordinary magical ability, but it rapidly developed to the point where it would be too much for your small body to handle, so I cast the spell that gives you native tattoos to contain it. Now, your birthday is tomorrow, and the spell will begin to wear off. With the conclusion of the mission, the spell will evaporate, and you will be able to wield all of your magic as you deem fit. However, the tattoos will be there as a reminder to use it well."

I trace the line of the Sheikah eye, thinking of how it will feel to have just a little bit more power at my disposal, and the fear that I will not be worthy of it. In an effort to take my mind off of it, I stand up and go over to the doors leading to the sealed grounds. "My Lady, will you please allow me to stand watch over the Grounds? I have a feeling that you may need to seal it from within while I guard it from the other side." She hums and the great stone doors sparkle as the lock clicks. "Thank you. I will be training as well to use my time wisely while I also watch the seal."

"Of course Lianne. Do what you think is best." She waves a hand at me, and I return the gesture before pulling the doors open and stepping outside as the doors swing shut.

The great seal indicating her magic forms over the doors, locking her inside once more as I peer over the edge of the cliff, seeing nothing wrong with the seal before I go to the right of the temple and pull out a bow, sword, and a battle axe from the storage closet hidden by the vines growing over the side of the temple. Taking a deep breath, I grab my axe and begin swinging it in the drills Impa has instructed me on since I was small. "Link, Your Grace, please, I pray for both of you to arrive here safely."

The Next Morning in Skyloft

Zelda POV

"Link!" I fly my loftwing to him, on the path where the cave lets out underneath Skyloft. He smiles as I hop off and walk up to him. "Groose and his buddies hang out a lot just at the end of this path. Let's see if we can't find something to find your bird."

"Yeah." I let him walk ahead of me as I hear a chiming voice ring out, but I can't figure out what it says, so I ignore it in favor of following Link. "Zelda, do you hear that?" I then notice the frantic squawking screech of a panicked loftwing, and we run to the end of the path, finding his great crimson bird penned up in the small alcove carved into the wall.

"Yeah, that's your bird alright!" I yell to be heard. He runs over to his bird and pulls out his sword and hacks away the ropes holding the wooden boards across the opening. When it is finally free, it quiets and walks out slowly and nuzzles Link affectionately.

"Hey buddy, you alright now?" he asks his bird as he runs his fingers over its beak. The silly thing stretches its wings and flies off, circling around beneath us. "I'll take that as a yes." I giggle slightly at him, then stop as I hear the chiming voice again, still no better than the last time. Link notices my frown and nudges me. "Hey, are you okay? Is something bothering you?"

I smile. "No, I'm sure it's nothing. But… do you think there might be anything beneath the clouds? I've read about there being a whole world full of life, but have heard that it is a barren wasteland, or that there is nothing at all down there."

His shoulders slump slightly. "I hope there is something, or someone down there. I remember Father used to tell me stories about Mother, and that she fell down there when she was hit by a bad tornado and nobody was able to reach her in time." I wince in memory, having totally forgotten about that. "If there is something down there, then there is a chance she is alive and well. And if that is so, I wish to go down there and explore it myself."

I smile before I remember the Wing Ceremony. "Oh no, we're wasting time! Jump to your bird and let's get to the Ceremony, we're already delaying it from the search!"

After the Ceremony

"Hey Link!" I shout to catch his attention due to the breeze while we fly. He looks back to me. "I'm happy you won the race and got to do the Ceremony on the statue with me today! But… there is something I have been meaning to ask you…!" I gasp as there is a bright flash of light, and when it clears, there is a massive, dark tornado that darkens the sky around us. "What is that?!" I shout, fear filling my mind.

"Zelda, come on, we need to get out of here!" I nod and try to guide my loftwing back towards Skyloft, but she gets pulled in by the tornado's strong winds. "Zelda!" The tornado hits me, knocking me off my bird. I scream for Link, and he dives to try to save me, but then it hits him, knocking him off his bird and he falls unconscious.

"LINK!" I scream his name as my world darkens and I hear nothing but the wind rushing past me as I fall, barely aware of the dampness that hits me as I fall through the clouds to the world below.

Lianne POV

I gasp as I feel heat rush through my body as the seal over my magic breaks a little bit more. As it subsides, I notice that the world gets a little bit brighter, and look up to see a figure clad in pink, holding a golden harp, falling to the Surface. I use some of my new strength to teleport myself to the area where she will soon be landing, and find a large group of Bokoblins waiting there for her as well. Without much time to think, I blast them with magic, and they all fall to the ground and disperse into dust, returning to the evil that created them. Looking up, I throw a spell at the girl to slow her down enough so that I can catch her before she lands.

Grabbing her from the air, I notice her pointed ears and the banner she wears over her skirt, with the loftwing symbol, also representing the Goddess Hylia. I then examine her golden harp, and note that it is in excellent condition, having been a relic of the people of Skyloft for over a thousand years.

Lady Impa comes hobbling out of the temple side entrance, and sees me holding the unconscious young girl protectively in my arms. "Oh no. Is she alright Lianne?"

I nod in an answer. "She seems to be alright, just asleep. But there was a group of Bokoblins that were waiting for her to land here, and they only have one reason to wait for a certain person."

She holds her wrist with a glowing purplish blue bracelet and sighs. "Will you bring her into the temple for me please? She will hopefully awaken soon, and will require a meal and rest."

"Of course." I lift her in my arms, finding her to be lighter than I had expected.

I know this is short, but it is just an intro. What do you think of this so far? I'm already having fun with this one, and it will contain a lot of spoilers for the game, but I will try to keep those as vague as possible for those who are not informed of how Skyward Sword goes.

I do not own Legend of Zelda, just the character Lianne.


	2. Chapter 2

Zelda POV

I open my eyes to find nothing familiar around me, an old stone roof towering above with cracks allowing streams of light inside. Sitting up, I let a blanket fall into my lap and look more closely at the place I have woken up in. There are some beautiful paintings of a vibrant sunset, a forest with a large tree in the middle, and an ancient temple.

The curtain parts with a soft swishing sound as a girl who looks about a year younger than me steps through, carrying a tray with some bread, soup, and water balanced in one tattooed hand. I examine her clothes and find them odd. She wears a scarf loosely wrapped around her neck that reaches to her waist, a deep blue dress that reaches to just above her knees with slits up to her hips revealing another layer of cloth underneath, with the thin straps holding it up fall just off her shoulders. She has on no shoes, but wears a string of beads around both her ankles and wrists.

She realizes that I have been staring at her for a while and clears her throat. "Hello. If you are feeling up to it, you may eat some of the food I have brought you, then you will need to speak to Lady Impa." She doesn't have any problems meeting my gaze, while hers shines with wonder and curiosity.

I fidget and throw off the blanket as I stand up, finding my shoes next to the bed. "Why are you staring at me, and who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry for my poor manners. My name is Lianne, after the Goddess herself, and I honestly didn't mean to stare, but… I was wondering, do you think you could tell me what it's like, to live in Skyloft?" Her eyes widen with each word as she tries to show how excited she is to learn about my home. She guides me to a small table, where she sets down the tray in front of me before sitting down across from me, elbows propped against the table casually.

I blink and reach for the cup, trying to think of where to start, there are so many things to share. "Well, for starters we all have guardian loftwings granted to us by the Goddess when we are but children, and we learn to fly with them as we grow up. Once we have our birds, we can also decide whether or not we want to join the Knight Academy, something my father started twenty five years ago." That jogs my memory. "How long have I been here?! I have to get back! Link was hurt when he tried to come after me when I fell! Where am I at?!"

She stands and places her hands on my shoulders, squeezing enough to silence me. "You fell two hours ago from the sky and landed just behind this temple into the Sealed Grounds of what you know to be called the Surface. Link did not arrive with you. All I know is that the Demon Lord has an unhealthy interest in you, and I had to take care of some of his underlings as you were falling. They were waiting for you." She runs her fingers in circles along my scalp, soothing me easily. "Impa will tell you more once you are able to see her, but you must be patient and try to calm down."

I nod my head. "Thank you Lianne. I'm Zelda, by the way." She smiles and sits back down as I begin to eat my food.

That Night in the Knight Academy

Link POV

"Ahh!" I yell as I wake up from my dream of falling, trying to save Zelda from that black monster. I take huge breaths of air as I try to calm myself, looking around to find myself back in my room at the Academy again, with Headmaster Gaepora, Zelda's father, walking in.

"Link, I am glad to see you have finally awoken. I was worried when your loftwing carried you back unconscious." He approaches and I sense his worry.

"Sir, where is Zelda?" I practically beg, scared for her wellbeing.

He sighs. "We were hoping you could tell us. She never came back from your flight. Can you tell me what happened?"

I rub my face with both hands, feeling a bit of dirt from the tornado on my face. "There was a huge flash of light, then a dark tornado came towards us, and we tried to fly away from it, but then Zelda got pulled in by it and was falling, and when I tried to rescue her, I got hit by it. That's all I remember. Then I just had this dream where she was falling into the mouth of a monster."

"Hm, is that so? This is very troubling." He rubs his mustache in thought for a moment. "Well, I just hope she just wound up stranded on an outlying island and can return home in the morning, or someone will find her there if her bird is unable to fly." He sees the apprehension clearly on my features and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Link, I am sure that wherever she is, Zelda is safe."

I nod glumly and lean forward onto my knees. "Can I go out to search for her?"

"Not right now. It is night, and that makes it even more difficult to fly, and night flying is not something you have been trained in yet." He makes his way to the door. "Link, you have had quite a day, so I want you to try to get some more rest. We will find her, I am positive of this." He walks out, closing the door gently behind himself.

I can't find it in myself to lay back down for sleep, so I sit up for a few minutes with my hands in my face, until I hear an echoing voice like the one I have been hearing in my dreams lately. It is emanating from the hall, so I go out to investigate, to find a blue and purple girl with cape-like arms to her sides and a large purple gem in the center of her chest. As I step closer to her, she flies backward, and I follow her around the Academy, outside, and all the way around to the back entrance to the Statue of the Goddess. There, she flies into the base of the statue, leaving an entryway for me to follow her through.

Entering the mystery chamber, I see a bluish glowing sword stuck in a stone pedestal in the center of the room, and approach it, only for the girl to come flying out of it and land in a bow before me. "Hello, Hero of the Goddess. My designation is Fi. It is time for you to begin your journey, preordained by the Goddess herself."

The Next Morning, Sealed Temple

Lianne POV

"Lianne, I think I'm ready." Zelda murmurs, and I smile at her. "I'm just thinking though, should I wait for Link to arrive before I leave? I mean, he is going to have the Goddess Sword with him, which will help tremendously, and I don't want to go alone."

I sigh. "Your Grace, you know that he must follow closely behind you, if only for a distraction to the Demon army. He will catch up, but it will be quite some time before you are properly reunited. I will do what I can to aid him, but as your Hero, he must not rely on my aid."

"Even though you are his sister?" I wince at the question. "I don't care that he doesn't know about you, maybe you could explain what happened with your mother. I am sure he would welcome you, especially since you know the area so well."

I sigh. "I will tell him, but he won't accept it at first. He knows Mother fell seventeen years ago, and I am sixteen the day you arrived, but he will expect her, not a sister." I hang my head. "Don't worry about it. I will walk you out now, but I must stand watch over the seal on the Demon King once you are on your way. Once Link has repaired the seal, I will follow you as well."

She nods. "I guess it will have to do." We walk in silence out the side door of the temple, where I walk her to the entrance of Faron Woods. There, she pulls me into a strong hug, and slips something into my hand. "Can you make sure Link gets one of these? He knows that they are mine, and I think it might do him good to know that I was safe."

"Of course Your Grace." I watch her walk away before I fly over the wall of earth to the pit of the Sealed Grounds to continue my watch over the weakening seal and watch for the Hero. The evil begins to leak more than I had thought it could, and I suffer a vision of the Demon King in his monstrous form trying to eat me. As I cringe, the vision fades, and I see more black vapors indicating his evil leaking just as a speck of green falls from the sky. I run to the top of the temple, not wanting to be spotted easily by him as he descends to the grounds. "Link…" I whisper to myself, amazed that he has finally arrived.

Link POV

"Uh, Fi? What can you tell me about this place?" I ask the spirit of the Goddess Sword I carry.

She flies out and hovers over the ground in front of me. "This area is locally known as the Sealed Grounds, part of the Faron Province of the Surface. This area is almost pure forest, and hosts various life forms, including plant and animal life. However, I urge you to be cautious of this particular area, as I can sense a life form similar to yours watching, and an ancient one nearby as well. Also, I sense corrupted life with evil controlling it even closer."

"Thanks." She nods and returns to the sword as I walk down a fenced in path, which I find odd for a place that should have been uninhabited by people who would use them. When I see a drop off in the path, there are two small plants that suddenly shoot up huge plant heads, which are drooling some kind of slime with extremely sharp teeth. I back up a few steps and dodge as one head lunges for me, then get knocked over by the second.

As the first one goes to strike, something pulls me back by the collar, and in a flash the plants wither and turn into dust. The force that pulled me back turns out to be a girl, slightly younger than me, dressed in a red dress with thin straps on her shoulders and the bottom not quite reaching her knees. I see no shoes on her feet, but thin strings of beads on her ankles and wrists, and a giant axe in her hands. She turns to me, and I am shocked by the deep blue eyes that are just like my own, framed by long eyelashes, and long dirty blonde hair frame her face and cascade over her shoulders and down her back.

"What? Who are you, and why do you look like me?" I ask, trying not to stumble over my own words.

She sighs and runs one hand through her hair. "Some welcome for you to the Surface, huh? Well, I'm not sure I want to explain that right now, as I am aware of how… unstable you might be feeling at the moment. Just know that you can trust me."

"That's not an answer." She digs around in a pouch that is on a belt I am all too familiar with, looking for something. "Where did you get that belt?"

"I helped your friend earlier, and she gave it to me. She knows exactly who I am, but I have asked that she not share that with you." She pulls out two beads. "She wanted this to find its way to you."

She holds out her left hand with two purple beads, one with blue accents and the other with green. Warily, I take the one with green, having always favored that color anyway. "Why do you have these anyway?"

"To prove to you I am not a threat, with her promise of that." She turns and walks away, towards the drop off at the end of the path. "You would do well to hurry along with your mission. Time is running out, for all of us." With that, she jumps off. When I run to see if she is alright, I see there is a several foot drop, but no sign of her anywhere.

Frowning, I jump down to a soft landing on a grass-covered wooden platform. Peering over the edge of the platform, there is a pit with a spiraling path down to the bottom, where there is a white stake in the center of a black fog with a grayish pattern staining the ground. A shiver goes down my spine, and I feel something reaching out to my mind, and the world goes dark for a moment, and I see a giant scaled monster, like the one from my dream. It roars over me and bends down over me, as if to swallow me whole, when the light comes back.

A light breeze blows past me, carrying small leaves in it as I turn around to face an enormous temple, which seems too familiar, as if it was broken from the temple back in Skyloft. Turning back to the pit, I note the black fog emitting from the base of the stake, as well as a pained scream from the distance, the voice only partially familiar. Knowing that the only way to move forward is to find a way to fix this problem, I jump down the walls of the pit, not bothering to run the path and using the sailcloth to slow my fall.

Reaching the bottom, an ancient voice fills the air. "One who descended from the sky, use the holy light of the Goddess Sword you hold. Raise it skyward, and release its power."

Obeying immediately, I note that the bright light cuts through the fog easily, and the patterns on the ground turn into a pure white color. Fi jumps out of the sword to give me a report. "Master, the aura of this location has lost the evil, and there are now geysers of air if you wish to use them to return to the top of the pit. Also, I have the ability to dowse and make tracking Zelda easier, as her aura still lingers on the sailcloth enough for me to pick up a reading."

"Can you tell if she is alright?" I ask, praying she is somewhere safe and maybe waiting for me to catch up to her.

She shakes her head. "I am sorry, but this only allows me to trace her current location. I would suggest that you return to the temple, as I feel the power of a seal fading away." I nod to her and return to the top using the geysers, just in time to see the glowing Sheikah seal on the door fading away.

Okay, I think this is good enough for a decent update. I had to do this mostly at school and late at night to get this done around a bunch of schoolwork, so I am sorry about the delay to this story and for all of my other incomplete stories. I promise to get back to them soon, I just hope that next weekend I can chill and work on several updates I have been promising to myself all month.

I do not own Legend of Zelda.


	3. Chapter 3

Lianne POV

I scream in agony as the demon's magic tears through me, forcing me to my hands and knees before him, while he simply laughs. "Why don't you just give in to me, and I will end this pain?"

He lets up on the magic, and I cough and wrap my arms around my torso. "I don't care what you do or say to me, I will never give my loyalty to you!" I will vines to wrap around him, pinning him in place as I teleport to the Skyview Temple, where Zelda is just arriving.

"Lianne! Are you alright?!" She grabs me and pulls me to the ground, making me rest against the wall next to the door of the temple. "What did he do to you?"

I shake my head. "Your Grace, you need to hurry. He is just too close behind you. There is only so much time we can buy you, and I have to seal you in here to buy you even more time. I promise I will be okay, just hurry, please."

She hangs her head. "Alright, but at least be with Impa and help Link, okay?"

"I promise if you promise." I smile, and she finally lightens up as well, smiling and nodding as she helps me to stand up by her side. She enters the Temple quietly, glancing back only once to give me a quick smile before she forges on alone.

I turn back to the path, stepping down and walking back to the bird statue. I turn around and clench my fist as I will the doors to shut and form a seal, which will hopefully keep Ghirahim out until Link makes it inside. Finished with that chore, I walk back to the path and jog to the entrance of the Deep Woods. I continue on to the waterfall by the Kikwi Elder Bucha, who is looking like a large pile of dirt while he lies facedown, how he 'hides' from the bokoblins.

I kneel in the water, rinsing my face and scooping water over the cut in my side from my fight. "What really happened back then?" I ponder aloud, suddenly curious about what caused the Demon King to go against the Goddess.

"Hey." I turn around to find Link approaching me from behind, then look at my hands, tinted red from my blood. "What happened to you?" He splashes in the water as he approaches me and pulls my hand away from the wound.

I wince as he pokes at the nasty gash. "Let's just say I had a run-in with the wrong person." I put my hand on his. "Look, I haven't told you much, and I have my reasons, but you should know something about your mother."

"What would you know of her? You're-"

"Link, just hear me out, please. She fell from the sky, I know you know that. But I happen to know that she fell due to a tornado similar to the one that brought Zelda to the surface. These tornados were deliberately set on Skyloft in an effort to alter events that are happening now, and particularly for you." He gapes at me, but I continue. "What's more, I am not of this land, I am also of Skyloft origins, but this is the only world I have ever known."

"You're from Skyloft? But you would have been on the records, and my mother…" his eyes widen as he realizes what I am saying. "You're my sister?" I smile and waver slightly. "Hey, easy." He grabs my shoulders and guides me to a sitting position in the water.

"Sorry, I just got really dizzy." I put a hand to my side again. "Listen, Zelda is in the temple, but you have to hurry. I'm only injured because I had to buy you both some time. You have to catch up."

"But… what about you? I don't even know your name…" I shake my head at him.

"It's Lianne. Just go on ahead, and come back to the Sealed Grounds if you don't find me here when you leave." He still looks doubtful. "I'll be alright for now, and I will make it back just fine on my own."

Three Days Later, Temple of Time, Lanayru Desert

Link POV

I start to run to the bridge over the gorge, as Zelda makes to run back across to meet me as well. We only make it a few steps before an explosion destroys the pile of rubble that I went through the mines to get around.

"Your Grace!" the woman with Zelda shouts as she pulls Zelda behind her.

I hear a yell as something clad in red goes flying across the bridge just after the rubble settles. I recognize the hair and outfit as belonging to Lianne as she pushes herself up and charges back the way she came from, only to be thrown back into the wall next to the Gate of Time. As she falls to the ground, I hear stone crumbling and breaking off, noting that some of it hits her when she doesn't stand up again.

"The little fool, trying to defy me yet again." Ghirahim walks through the wall and swipes his sword in my direction, causing a magical wall of fire to block my path. I put my arms up to protect myself from the flames as he charges towards Zelda. The woman guarding her charges to meet him and casts a blue shield patterned with the Sheikah eye and teardrop. "You would defy me as well?! Fine then, I will punish you as well as her!"

"Link!" Zelda's voice calls to me. "Catch this!" Her golden harp glows and flies across the chasm straight into my arms.

As I examine the harp, she runs back to the Gate, but when she gets close, Ghirahim shatters the woman's shield. "Yes!" he shouts as he knocks the woman onto her back.

I charge after him, and make a jump at him, raising my sword as I descend to attack. He jumps away and glares furiously at me, but I raise my shield and sword in defiance. "Protect Zelda, I can handle him."

"Thank you Link." She runs to grab Zelda and pulls her into the Gate, dropping a glowing orb that destroys it once they pass through.

"You scoundrel. You have no idea the wrath you are facing now." Another orb drops right in front of me, casting a shield as he magics daggers to attack me. Lianne limps to my side, and I note the blood dripping from the mouth and the side of her head. "Hmph, little meddler." He throws his sword at me, and it passes through the shield Lianne cast, aimed straight at my heart. I brace myself for the cursed blade when I am pushed to the side.

"Link…?" she gasps, falling to her knees, hands covered in her own blood once again, which are now clutching the blade sticking out from her stomach.

"What a weakling. Fortunately for you I have other things to attend to. But know that you are not safe." With that, he swings another blade around and vanishes.

I crawl over to Lianne. "Why would you take it for me?"

She coughs as I cup her cheek in one hand and guide her to the ground with the other. "I promised… that you would… be safe…"

"Hang in there, please. You're gonna be alright." I pull out a heart potion and force her to drink some of the healing potion, if only to give her a better chance. "I have to pull out the sword, then I'm gonna get you to Skyloft. The professors can help you there better than what I can do." She nods and exhales, bracing herself for the pain. "Three, two, one…" I pull it out of her, causing her to bleed even more and scream in agony. I put the sword aside and press one hand to her stomach and use the other to make her drink more of the potion.

Fi comes out of the sword. "Master, if she is to have any chance for recovery, her current condition is the best it will be. Moving her will be difficult and will most likely cause more damage, but with enough care she will have minimal aggravations to her wounds."

"Thank you Fi. Is there any way you could carry her up to the sky?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I am sorry, but I am unable to carry her. However, I can fly up alongside her and keep pressure on her wound to lessen the bleeding while you travel to the sky."

"It will have to do." I pick up Lianne, who whimpers at the movement. "Lianne, you'll have to hold onto me very tightly, I'll be needing both my arms to use my sailcloth on the way up. Can you ride pig-back?"

"Y-yeah…" Fi supports her and helps settle her on my back, taking my shield and scabbard so nothing aggravates Lianne's wounds any more than necessary.

I hurry to the bird statue just outside the temple and pray, which sends a gust of wind which I open my sailcloth to so it can carry us up. I can feel her blood seeping onto my tunic, then feel cloth come between us, and know that Fi is trying to staunch the bleeding. When I finally breach the cloud barrier, I release one hand from the sailcloth and whistle for my loftwing, who catches us as delicately as possible. As I guide us to the Knight Academy, I shift Lianne around to where I can lay her on the loftwing's back and continue to apply pressure, noting that she has passed out. We finally reach the plaza, from where I see the headmaster and Professor Owlan having a conversation with Pipit just outside the upper entrance to the Academy.

I land the loftwing right next to them and slide off with Lianne unconscious in my arms. "Professor, I need help!" They rush to my side as I lay her on the ground.

"Link, what happened?!" The headmaster asks as Pipit pulls me away so Professor Owlan can properly examine Lianne. "Are you hurt also?"

"No, she pushed me out of the way. Is there anything you can do for her?" I don't struggle against Pipit as I watch the professor prod at the wound.

"I need to get her inside, then will require boiling water, some heart potion, lots of bandages, a few towels, a needle, and some thread. Where can I work on her?" he asks, as I pull out two jars, one almost empty of heart potion and the other full.

"Use my room, it's closest to the kitchen." I offer.

"Alright, can you carry her while we gather everything? Pipit, find Karane, she's been taking lessons from me in this field, and she can do what I am unwilling to do." Owlan orders us. We all flurry into action, knowing that her wounds are still bleeding and how bad her condition is getting.

Four Hours Later

Karane and Professor Owlan step out of my room, wiping their hands on towels, and I note the faint red marking the white fabric.

"How is she?" I ask as soon as the door closes.

Karane sighs. "She will have a scar to add to her collection, but she will be alright if she drinks more potion when she wakes up along with plenty of rest."

"Wait, collection? How many scars does she have?" I ask, puzzled.

"I found what looks like whipping scars on her back when I removed her dress, then a lot more wounds that look like they are from a sword on top of that." She eyes me curiously. "What do you know of her wounds?"

"I have an idea of who gave her those wounds, but I have no idea of when or how she would have gotten them." I turn around, coming face to face with Groose. "Uh, what do you want Groose?"

"Have you found Zelda yet? And is she the one who got hurt?" he asks me, anger in his eyes.

"I did find her, but she had to go someplace else, and I will have a hard time getting there. She is unharmed as far as I know." I step back from him, knowing he might try to hit me now that Zelda is not up here to discourage him.

"Then who is injured?" he asks.

"That is a very good question. Who is she Link?" Karane asks, to which I groan and lean against the wall. "Link? What's wrong? Can't you tell us?"

"I can, but… this is not a conversation I want to have with my dad right now anyway." I mumble.

Headmaster Gaepora comes out of the kitchen. "And why does your father need to be included in this discussion?"

I sigh. This is going to be a long day.

Okay, done with this for now. I know I have left a weird cliffhanger, but this is still accurate to the game if you take out Link's family. I hope you are enjoying this so far, and I am sorry for the crazy time skip, but it was the best way for me to work with this story.

I do not own Legend of Zelda.


	4. Chapter 4

Lianne POV

I groan as I open my eyes, the light pouring in from the open windows stinging my tired eyes. I start to move my arm to cover my eyes, then gasp in pain as I feel an injury in my stomach pull slightly. I lay back the way I had awoken, worried about moving too much with this type of injury.

"Dammit, what happened?" I growl at the ceiling, more awake from the pain.

After ten minutes of brooding, the door opens and a rather large man with white hair steps in, eyes the same as Zelda's. "I see you are awake now, my lady. I am Headmaster Gaepora of the-"

"Knight Academy of Skyloft, and Zelda's father, I know. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but why am I here? The last I remember is pushing Link aside." I frown at him as he takes a seat at the desk next to the bed. "And please, my name is Lianne, I'm no lady."

"Of course. Link said something about you pushing him aside and being impaled by a sword from an enemy on the Surface, then rushing to bring you here for us to treat your wound." I hear a door slam and feet pounding through the building from an upper level. "And speaking of whom, I believe that is him."

The door opens again, revealing Link panting lightly as his eyes land on me. "Lianne! Fi said you had awoken and I rushed here." He walks to me and grabs my hand tightly, and I feel a slight tremor in his grip. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, I thought we would lose you!"

I smirk at him and squeeze his hand as tightly as I can. "Silly, it'll take more than that to take me down." I then realize that I have on a shirt similar to his. "Uh, what happened to my dress?"

Link sighs as the headmaster clears his throat. "We tried to clean it, but the bloodstains would not come out, no matter what we did. It is being sewn up right now, but it may be a lost cause, as Karane had to cut out half of the seams to get to the wound."

"It's okay if I can't get it back in good condition, but I hope I can get something more than a shirt to wear for now?" I look at Link, hoping he can get me something.

"I hope you are willing to wear breeches. Nobody here really wears skirts, and even then it's a hazard with the wind." I take a breath and push myself up slightly, trying to make my legs cooperate and poorly succeeding. "Wait a moment." Link smiles and shakes his head as he rotates the pillow under me and grabs me by the armpits, dragging me to a sitting position.

I try to breathe deeply, my vision turning slightly black from the slight movement. "Lianne, are you alright?" the headmaster asks, a frown lightly etching his face.

"Just got dizzy." I find a jar of a red liquid being forced into my hand, which I raise to sniff. "This smells weird. What is it?"

"Heart potion, to heal wounds and aid in recovery from blood loss after. It doesn't do too much for pain relief, but there are other methods to handle pain." Link explains. He sits on the bed next to me and gestures to the bottle. "You need to drink a quarter of that now, then you might be able to get up and get cleaned up."

"Ugh, this is going to be disgusting." I mutter under my breath as I take a breath before I raise the jar to my lips. Link hides a smile while the headmaster chuckles at the scrunching of my face from the disgusting potion. I can only handle two gulps of the stuff before it becomes unbearable, and I put it down, coughing and trying to breathe through the magic weaving through my body. "Yuck." I shove the jar back into Link's hand, not trusting my grip to hang on to it.

He frowns at me, glancing from me to the bottle and back. "You barely drank any. You'll be stuck in bed if you don't drink it."

I shake my head. "The magic in that is doing what it needs to, I'm done with that mix." I try to scrape the taste off my tongue with my teeth. "Worse than when I tried eating overcooked mushrooms."

"Well, I will leave you to convince Lianne to drink that, and take a stroll into town to see how the dress repair is coming along." He walks out with what I could have sworn was a muttered "siblings."

"Link, what happened? I barely remember arriving to the temple looking for you when the Demon Lord attacked me." He looks down, but not before I see the sorrow and guilt in his eyes.

He takes a shaky breath. "I had just gotten through the Lanayru Mining Facility and arrived in time to see Zelda and that other woman opening the portal. I started to get to the bridge when the blockage exploded, and you were thrown through the gateway. You hit a wall fairly hard, went to attack him again, then I think you were either dazed or knocked out for a moment when he threw you into the wall a second time." He pushes the jar of potion back into my hands, and I manage another sip, letting him process everything. "He blocked me with a wall of fire, then went to attack Zelda, and the woman cast a shield to buy some time, while Zelda threw me her harp. As she was about to enter the portal, the shield broke, and I got between them. That's when you cast a shield in front of me, then pushed me aside when he threw the sword in an attempt to kill me."

I look down, laying a finger over the stinging wound that is half-healed already. "How did you manage to get me here?"

"Fi took my shield and sword so you could ride up on my back while I held onto the sailcloth while keeping pressure on your wound. That was the most difficult part, but we made it work." He seems hesitant to continue, so I put my hand on his to give him some form of support. "Once Karane and Professor Owlan got to work on you, I went and bought a several jars of heart potion so that you wouldn't die on us. When they said you would be alright, I realized you have to meet Dad." A look of disgust and sadness washes over his features at that name.

"What's so bad about him?"

He squeezes my hand. "You have never seen how much people can come to love a spouse, and they were the most in love. The day mother fell from the sky he lost half of himself. He's been drunk every time he manages to get some form of alcohol, causes problems for everybody, and calls for her every day. He only cares about her, and has always ignored me, favoring other unsavory activities and mindless flying about the sky instead of focusing on the other things in his life."

I bite my lip, realizing just how bad things have become for our blessed people because of this war. "Link…" He finally meets my eyes. "If you are not comfortable having me meet him, then I won't force the issue. After all, you ought to know what's best for your little sister, right?"

I finally get a small smile out of him. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But when he hears that someone was brought up from the Surface…"

I shake my head. "I will already be long gone. Skyloft may be the home of our people now, but the Surface is my home. He can have a hope, if that counts for anything."

"Does that mean I have the hope that you will drink enough of the potion to get out of my room then?" he asks with a smirk.

I laugh and poke his cheek. "I will drink as much of this… stuff, as I can." I shiver lightly. "This is some really strange magic."

"Magic? I thought it was just the blessing of the goddess on the ingredients. Nobody ever said there was magic in the formula." He frowns.

"Well, I'm extremely sensitive to magic, so I can feel the power in this. I also wield a lot of magic, but I have a seal on it, attached to these tattoos." I roll up my sleeve to show him. He runs a finger over the eye tattoo. "That one is the mark of the Sheikah tribe, the bodyguards to the goddess and protectors of the temples."

"Then where have they all gone? I never saw a single trace of them while I was chasing Zelda everywhere."

I shake my head and take a breath before I down the amount of potion to make Link happy, coughing when I finish the required quarter jar of potion. "Please, let me never need to drink this again." I pray to myself, knowing I might have to later in the mission again.

"Well, now you ought to go get cleaned up. I'll show you to the girls' baths, then I'll see about getting a meal ready for you." He gets up and goes to a wardrobe next to the door. He opens the doors and pulls out a set of breeches, neatly folded, and tosses them to me. "Get those on once I step outside, then I'll take you there."

Two Days Later

"Hey, Lianne! Where'd you go?!" I hear Link shout as he searches for me around the Statue of the Goddess, but I hardly pay him any attention as I raise my hand to stroke the beak of the enormous, pure white loftwing, which is twining about me like a cat. "Lianne!" The call of my name dies on his lips as he spots us, entranced by the picture we make.

"Link, did you find her?" Professor Owlan approaches the entryway to the temple, by Link. Then he sees us and I hear his footsteps halt. "Isn't that bird…?"

I look at them over the slender neck of the bird. "What do you need?"

Link seems startled by my inquiry, but shakes it off. "Just couldn't find you-"

Owlan yanks Link behind him and raises a blade in a defensive stance, eyes locked on the bird. "Lianne, step away from that bird right now!"

"Why? She's perfectly docile." I frown at him.

"No she isn't! That bird has been a curse on us ever since the founding of the Knight Academy!"

I look between them, the frown deepening on my face. "I seriously doubt that, Professor. Besides, Loftwings are the guardian birds of our people, aren't they?"

Okay, I know this is a weird place to leave off, but I am starting a new story that I need to have chapters at ten thousand words each and am dedicating my time to the starting chapter at the moment while I wait for an order from amazon to come in. I hope everyone is having a fun and wonderful summer, and please have patience with me, I will try to finish one of my stories soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Lianne POV

I give the Loftwing one last pat on the beak, then send her away. I watch as she flies in circles around the statue of the Goddess, then I go to Link and Professor Owlan. "Could you explain why you were so repulsed by her?"

He sighs, shoulders relaxing. "When the Knight Academy opened, there was a great tornado that swept through the sky, and afterwards, that particular bird swooped down on the roof, attempting to grab students and causing a huge racket. In the end, we had to fight the bird off, and we haven't seen it again until today."

I lift an eyebrow, then pull a dead parasite out of my pocket. "This must have been the cause of her aggression. I found it stuck in her feathers."

Link takes it from my hand to examine it closer. "This looks like a variation of the scorpions in the desert."

I shake my head. "I wouldn't be so sure of its origins beyond the surface. I have a feeling that Ghirahim might have sent that tornado to plant this on a bird to make Her Grace an easier target."

"Who?" Professor Owlan asks, confused.

"The guy who's been trying to kill me all my life." I turn back to Link. "I've seen these parasites everywhere but around the Sealed Grounds lately, so I know they are definitely not something that should be on Skyloft."

"And does Lady Impa know about it?" he queries.

"Yeah, she put a ward up to keep them away from the Grounds." I then smack my face. "I need to get back, she must be worried sick! I promised I would be there as soon as Her Grace went through!"

"You're not going anywhere until you explain everything!" an angry voice shouts. I look to the bottom of the stairs to find an unfamiliar man wearing stained breeches and shirt. His greasy hair might be blonde, but looks a filthy brown, and his green eyes are furious, boring holes into me and Link.

Link grabs my arm. "Time to go!" We charge to the platform to the Goddess's left side, diving off without any hesitation. Link whistles loudly for his bird, and I merely hum to summon mine, who catches me gracefully and we fly off towards the gate to Faron Woods.

I turn, shouting to Link. "Was that Father, by any chance?!"

"Yeah! A real charmer!" He has a bitter look on his face, spitting the words out. I nod and focus on guiding us over to the portal, leaving Link to his thoughts. When we are close to the beam of green light, he yells for my attention. "How are you going to get down?!"

"Magic to slow my fall! I did the same for Zelda!" With that, we jump off our birds, falling with ease through the gap in the clouds. As we pass the cloud barrier, I hear a shout above me, and turn to see the redheaded idiot falling, most likely following us. He plummets past me, almost hitting Link. I angle myself downwards, shooting past Link and grabbing the guy. "Hold on to me!" he screams in terror and tries to get a better grip on my shoulders, but just digs his nails into me, drawing blood he holds on so tightly.

About ten seconds before we hit the ground, I wave my hands, calling for my magic to ease the fall. I grab my passenger's wrists and make a rough landing on my feet, and fall over forwards, the big guy crushing me under his weight before Link lands and pull him off me, shoving him away with a grunt. "Lianne! Are you okay?!" He rolls me onto my back, and I cough, catching my breath.

"Yeah, just a bit bruised." I blink up at him, then rotate my head to glare over at our guest. "Who's this moron?"

"Groose, probably Zelda's biggest fan." He helps me to stand up, then marches over to Groose, who is having a major panic attack just at the sight of the tiny surface birds. "Why did you follow us?"

He gapes at us, then looks back to the birds. "Where is this?"

I sigh. "Link, I don't have time for this. Can you deal with this mess?"

He groans, but nods. "Yeah, I'll catch up in a bit."

"Thanks." With a smile of encouragement, I teleport to the main doors of the Sealed Temple. With a grunt, I push them open enough to get in, then shove them closed behind me. "Lady Impa, I'm back!"

She roughly stands in her spot before the great doors behind her. "Oh, I was so worried neither you nor the Hero would make it. Go change your clothes, then give me your story."

"Right away." I give her a quick hug before I go to my spot of the temple, pushing back the curtain slightly to reveal my neat space, untouched for days. I strip off the borrowed shirt and breeches, folding them neatly on the table on my way to the chest at the foot of my bed. I lift the lid to find a blue Sheikah suit, which I know is not mine, on the top of the pile. "Lady Impa, why is there a Sheikah outfit in my chest?" I call out to her.

There is a tense silence before she sighs. "I put it there for you to wear when you pass through the Gate of Time. Just set it aside for now, Lianne, you have no need of it for the time being."

"Alright." I set the outfit on my bed and reach for another dress, this one blue with a white strap going around my neck, falling a couple of inches above my knees. I pull on the dress, attempting to tie the complex knot under my hair with some difficulty, and wind up with nothing but a tangled knot. I set that task to the side and move on to brushing and braiding my long hair neatly, pondering over the meaning of the outfit. With my hair finished, I put the strings of beads on my wrists and ankles, then begin to untangle the straps.

The door grates open gently, meaning Link followed the path to the side door of the temple, then shuts much the same way. "Ah, hello Link. Lianne will be over in a minute."

I growl under my breath, then sigh. "I can't get this silly knot tied. Link, if I come out would you please tie it for me?"

"Yeah, sure." I hear his voice quivering with amusement.

I hold the fabric with one hand and push the curtain to the side with the other, walking calmly over to him. He turns me so my back is facing him, then takes care of the knot, double tying it so that it won't come undone anytime soon. "Thanks." He smiles in return, then we both turn to Lady Impa. "We have an uninvited guest from Skyloft."

"Excuse me?!" a boisterous voice reverberates through the temple. I whirl around to glare at Groose, standing in the open door through which Link entered. "I followed to both search for Zelda and warn you both that your dad has a sailcloth, and will be here once he gets it from his bird!"

I bury my face in my hands. "How did this happen?" I take a deep breath, then look up to Impa. "We don't have time for this."

She nods. "Indeed. Link, I see you have the Harp of the Goddess on you. Would you play the Ballad of the Goddess from the center of that circle there?" As he goes to stand where he inlaid golden circle is, Impa turns to me. "Lianne, please stand guard over the seal."

I nod and teleport outside, standing on the edge of the platform. I watch as a wisp of black fog escapes the seal once again, and sigh, casting a simple shielding spell over myself so I won't have to suffer another of the horrid visions. Just as I relax for a moment, the earth shudders, throwing me off balance and knocking me forward. I barely manage to grab the edge of the platform before I can fall over the edge, dangling by one hand. I desperately try to work my magic to lift myself back up, but something won't allow me to use anything but my own strength.

I glance down to see a massive amount of fog burst forth, and look away again, trembling with fear now as well as exertion. The doors open and Link charges out. "Link, get to the seal, now!" I pull myself up so he can see me.

"Groose, pull her back up!" Link takes a running leap over me, pulling out his sailcloth just before he hits the ground, repeating the process twice more before he reaches the bottom of the pit.

Groose, shocked out of his stupor, kneels down and grabs my arms and leans back up, dragging me with him. "Why didn't you use magic?"

I shiver slightly as I lean into his hold, fighting tears. "I couldn't. I don't think I'm strong enough yet to work while in his presence." A feral roar from the bottom of the pit makes me shudder, and Groose pulls me farther away from the platform.

Okay, I'm not going into much detail, but I've been thinking of keeping this a ZeLink, but maybe going further with the LiannexGroose pairing. I would like to hear some opinions on this, cuz I could go crazy with another pairing as well as all of my other stories.

I do not own Legend of Zelda


	6. Chapter 6

Link POV

I finish repairing the seal, but hold a sense of impending doom lingering. I sigh, turning around to find Lianne being held up by Groose at the top of the pit, and Lady Impa right behind me. "Well done Link, I had expected no less of you." She turns to the path back up to the temple. "Come, we have little time left, and much to do yet."

We finally reach the top, and I see why Groose is holding Lianne, she's crying and shaking with fear. I take her from Groose, giving him a nod of thanks, and guide her inside, rubbing circles into her back. "It's alright Lianne. He won't be coming out any time soon, I promise."

She nods, and calms down enough to reply at last. "I know, I just… I was so helpless, and I hate it." she whispers brokenly, and I see a horrifying scar on her neck, no longer hidden under her hair.

I brush a finger lightly over the mark, earning a flinch. "Where did you get this?"

"It was when Ghirahim tried to torture information out of me. He was getting frustrated with me for being so uncooperative, he accidentally cut my neck too deeply. I barely survived it." she mutters, and I rub her shoulder one more time before I look to Lady Impa.

"Link, this is known as a Gate of Time, the last one in existence, now that the one at the Temple of Time has been destroyed." She looks at it reverently. "This is the only route to where your Zelda resides now, but it is currently dormant. To activate it, you must use a Skyward Strike from your Goddess Sword."

I frown. "Somehow, it doesn't sound as though it will be that simple."

Lianne shakes her head. "You're right. In order to awaken it, you must collect the Sacred Flames of old to awaken the sword's true powers. Time has not been kind to the sword, and it needs to be reforged within these flames to restore it to its former glory in the form of the Master Sword."

I look at her. "And how do you know that?"

She smiles sheepishly. "I get around, and I hear things from the dragons, whenever I choose to visit."

"You actually get around here?! Are you insane?!" Groose shouts, just as the temple door opens slowly, accompanied by heavy breathing.

"LIIIIIINK!" Father shouts, and I cringe somewhat. "Explain all of this right now! Who is that little chit?!"

Lianne stands in front of me. "You're a disgrace, coming into a temple and throwing a fit like a spoiled child." She growls at him, and he takes a step back, shocked. "Furthermore, we have more important matters to attend to than your petty orders for information you won't even remember when you sober up, _Father_."

Lady Impa chuckles slightly. "Just like your mother, I'll say." She then steps forward. "I must ask that you take this fit of yours outside, as you are unfit to be in our presence as you are at the moment." She then turns to us younger people. "Groose, I ask that you keep an eye on this man. Lianne, please guide Link to the Dragons, as you are the best guide I could ask for at this point."

Lianne nods. "Of course. We'll be back as soon as possible." She then guides me out of the temple, and leads me to the entrance of Faron Woods. "Link, before we go any further on foot, would you rather try teleporting, or just continue on foot?"

I scuff my foot in the tall grass. "I would like to try teleporting, if it's not too much trouble."

She grins. "Cool, so just hold onto my hand, and close your eyes, or you'll be feeling a little sick."

I grab her hand tightly, and close my eyes just as I start to pitch forward, only to drop a tiny bit onto the grass again. I open my eyes to find us in front of the bridge I couldn't figure out how to open the doors to just after learning about Lianne. "Here?"

She nods. "This is the bridge to Lake Floria for all normal guests. I found it sealed off a while ago, and haven't been able to visit in quite some time due to a magical ward." She looks at me, then my sword. "There is a chance that drawing in the rest of Faron's emblem will reopen the doors with the power of a Skyward Strike. Would you fill in this missing circle?"

Shrugging, I do ask she asks, and am rewarded by the circle fading away and the gate creaking open. I step back, sheathing my blade and keeping an eye out for any incoming Bokoblins. "Somehow, this just seems way too easy."

She frowns. "You're right, but we need to keep moving forward. I'm sure Faron has a reason for closing off Lake Floria." We walk to the edge of the bridge, and she sighs. "The water seems so much farther away than before."

I look over the edge, and gulp. "We're not going to…?"

She nods, grabbing my hand. "Yup. We're diving." With that, she pulls me over the edge, and we go plummeting down to the water. She releases me and straightens her body, and I imitate her posture. We both make minimal splashes, and I touch the bottom of the lake, pushing off to reach the surface again.

I gasp as I break the surface of the water, refilling my empty lungs. "Lianne?" I call for her, and hear a lighthearted laughter coming from her. I turn around only to get splashed in the face with the crystal clear water. "Hey, stop that!" I pedal my feet to stay afloat and put my hands over my face.

"Diving isn't all that bad now is it?" she asks in a sing song tone, still laughing.

I grumble under my breath and splash her back. "How are you this cheerful?"

"Easy, I have some good memories of playing with the Kikwis here." She then pushes her soaked hair out of her face. "Anyway, I guess we need to follow the current to go see Faron."

Short, I know, but I have next to zero inspiration for this right now. At least it's an update, so you know I'm still doing this!

I do not own Legend of Zelda


	7. Chapter 7

Lianne POV

"Well, this could be a bit of a problem," I murmur, teleporting us back up to the bridge.

Link wrings out his green cap and rolls his eyes. "Sorry I can't hold my breath for so long. Maybe there's something else we need to find first?"

I nod. "A distinct possibility. Perhaps this is something we need a fresh set of eyes for." I hear a chiming, almost like laughter, and flinch, looking around.

Link also looks around, and Fi jumps out from the sword. "Master, I believe the headmaster might provide some insight. I believe that the Ballad of the Goddess may hold the key, as well as Skyloft itself."

I hit my forehead with my palm. "I am an idiot! How could I forget about the Silent Realms and their prizes?"

"Silent Realms?" Link asks, a frown of concern on his face.

"Realms only the Hero's Spirit may enter, and overcome a challenge, one in each Dragon's territory. It was one of the first things I learned about this mission." I glance around for a bird statue, and gesture for him to follow me over. "We need to decipher the song, or we're never gonna get any further with this mission."

"The headmaster might be the only one who can provide us with some answers, since he knows almost all there is to know about it." He grabs my hands and wraps my arms around his shoulders, pulling out his Sailcloth. "Hang on tight, and when we reach the sky, call for your bird."

I nod, and once he finishes his prayer, a strong wind carries us up to the sky, breaching the cloud barrier for but a moment, and I release Link from my grip, freefalling as we both summon the Loftwings. They catch us without seeming to have any trouble, and my bird flies behind Link's Crimson Loftwing, streaking through the sky.

We reach the Knight Academy, landing on the upper platform without a second thought, though I notice a slight wince cross Link's face before settling to indifference. "Link, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

He looks at me with confusion. "What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine." I raise an eyebrow and he sighs. "Fine, that one bokoblin we ran into earlier got me in the leg."

I frown at him, stepping forward. "Link, you should have told me!" I growl, looking at his leg to find a small rip in the fabric, as well as a drying patch of blood. "By the Goddess Link, you have no idea what those weapons have been through! It could already be infected, for all you know!"

As I drag in inside to his room, he shakes his head. "I used a heart potion on it, and it's better than it was before."

I don't stop until I've shoved him onto his bed, glaring down at him. "Link, you are going to wash that wound, and drink no more of that potion until I say so," I order him, grabbing a bowl and conjuring warm water within. "And while you do that, I am going to ask the Headmaster about the Ballad."

He shakes his head and pushes the bowl away. "I'm fine, and I ought to be there to find out about this as well," he argues, glaring back up at me.

"Link… you can play tough all you want, but believe me, the injuries from a green bokoblin could have much worse results than any others, as they rarely clean their weapons, and like to use poison to polish their weapons."

He stands up and I realize I'm slightly shorter than him. "And how do you know that?" he asks, pulling his sword and shield off his back, but keeping a hand on the blade.

I turn away and touch a rather nasty scar on my arm. "Some things you learn easy, others painfully." I look up at him dully. "I don't care if you think the Surface is a beautiful place, but when the sun goes down, it no longer belongs to the Goddess. Don't ever question my loyalty to the Goddess again, for I would never betray her, even at the cost of my life."

I can hear the regret in his voice as he whispers, "I'm sorry Lianne, but after everything I've learned, I realize that we are hardly acquainted, and yet you lead me everywhere. I couldn't help but be suspicious."

I look down and walk to the door, not sparing him a glance. "Just clean that, I'll be back soon." I walk out to find a person standing in front of me, with a yellow outfit, glaring at me.

"Who are you really?" he asks me, frowning.

I open my mouth to reply, when the Headmaster calls down the stairs, "My lady, I was hoping you would return soon, as I had yet to share something with you."

I turn away from the boy and walk slowly up the stairs, finding him right at the top looking down at me. "I'm glad there was a purpose for our swift return."

"Yes, well, I had meant to speak with you about it earlier today, but your father arrived sooner than I had anticipated." He opens the door to his office and walks in behind me, closing the door gently. "There is a possible key to finding a way to move forward in the mission within the Thunderhead, on an island to the Goddess, I believe the Island of Songs, if the legends hold true."

"Island of Songs… this sounds like something that could be of great use to us…" I murmur to myself, glancing over the wall of books next to the window. "But that storm is impenetrable by any, especially now. I can feel the evil radiating out of there, even from this distance."

He nods sadly. "Yes, we are all able to sense it, deep down if we want to think about. I have a feeling that our Sky Guardian is trapped within, which might have allowed Zelda to be taken away."

I frown in thought. "But since we can't get in, there is little point in talking about it, though I feel that we need to get there." I shake my head. "But that's not what we need to know right now. What can you tell me of the interpretation of the Ballad of the Goddess?"

Zelda POV

I sigh as I rise from my kneeling position in front of the altar, turning around to look at Impa with fresh eyes, realizing she is the same person from the Sealed Temple in the future. "What can you tell me about your people?"

She shakes her head. "We are still many, but driven mostly apart into hidden villages."

"And do your people take in any abandoned as if they were your own?"

She nods her head. "We do, if they are young enough or willing to follow our ways."

She nods her head. "Good. What is needed for my preparation to create this seal?"

"A strong will for a goal to drive you, and acceptance of what is to be left behind. I can coach you through the casting of the spell, and watch over you, but that is all. The rest is up to you, Your Grace."

I sigh and tilt my head back, wishing I could see Skyloft, even if it has only just reached its place in the sky. "What of Link? Will he and Lianne make it through the mission?"

Impa shakes her head. "Link will live this time, but fate still holds it cards for Lianne. She was never predicted to come into existence, and I remain unaware of whether the Hero of this Era ever had a sister."

I nod and turn away from her, biting my lip gently. "Then I pray that she lives through this, for she deserves much more than this."

She leaves me be, going to stand next to the Gate of Time, cogs turning as the portal faces the back room, where I shall soon fall into my sleep. Days pass, which we pass in silence but for casual exchanges, until nearly a week has passed since we arrive that the Gate opens, revealing Link as he steps out, battered and breathless, but alive.

"Zelda?" he asks, voice like music to my ears and heart.

I nod slowly at him, turning to walk into the back room once more. "We need to talk back here, Link."

I know it's short again, and with a crazy giant time skip, but you know what? Tough. I need to replay the game, so this might see some changes, but I doubt they will come for quite a while, since I'm drowning in work… so yeah. Sorry for making y'all wait so long for an update.

I do not own Legend of Zelda


	8. Chapter 8

Zelda POV

I stare at Link as he stares right back at me, and I can see that something in him has changed, like he's seen something that changed everything he knew. "What is it Link? You seem… different," I ask, almost hesitantly.

"Lianne," he whispers. "I've learned the songs, reforged the blade, and yet something doesn't add up entirely about her. How would she know so much about this mission?"

"I might have a theory, but no way of telling for sure," I answer slowly, the cogs turning in my head. "Why don't I have the ability to wield magic the way I did in the previous life, but she does? Why would one person ever know so much about a mission that the Sheikah knew hardly anything about?" I turn away from him, staring up to the dias. "I think the Spirit of the Goddess was somehow divided. Impa has been trying to find out all she could on Lianne, but found no trace of her having had a previous life. The Hero of this Era… had no family left after the first war. He never had any known family, Link." I glance over my shoulder at him, seeing his eyes widen. "He was an orphan, as far as anyone knew."

He takes a small step forward. "You mean to say you're the Goddess reincarnated? And that Lianne might be another part of Hylia altogether, only coincidentally reborn as my younger sister?"

"There is no way to be certain, Link," I whisper. "I do have some power left, but not nearly as much as I once had. But she has so much power it nearly overwhelmed her body from a young age." I meet his eyes steadily. "Power that could only be compared to a near god."

"But she is only now coming into her powers!" he gasps.

"And I am only now remembering the past." I wave my hands, gesturing to the temple, but meaning the land and time. "We are in the past, where ancient history has just taken place. My memories are from this era, Link. What's stopping her from being the one that carries Hylia's power, while I carry her mind?"

He shakes his head. "I… I've been having trouble with all of this. Why would Hylia… you, separate your soul into two parts?"

"Maybe a failsafe… maybe a punishment for herself… I don't know. In this time, it's only just happened, so traumatically that I can't recall more than a haze of emotional pain." I shrug helplessly. "But there is little time left. I can see that you've been through the Silent Realms, and I congratulate you on your success."

He looks down, eyes shadowed. "I can truly trust her then?" he asks quietly, hopefully.

I smile softly, and walk back to him, cupping his cheek gently, raising his amazing blue eyes to meet my own. "With your life." His hand wraps around my own. "After you, Father, and Impa, I would trust her with anything."

Lianne POV

The younger version of Lady Impa stares me down as Link talks to Her Grace in the back room. I fall back into my training and meet her red gaze steadily, not backing down.

"So you survived the encounter with Ghirahim," she comments, eyes flicking over my form to look for any new scars.

"Of course I did, what kind of warrior would I be if I didn't?" I bite back. "Lady Impa, I fail to see what you find so shocking."

She steps closer to me, and raises her hand, waving it over my bare shoulder. "These marks are not given lightly," she whispers. "And they are not given to just anyone."

I look down at my arm and notice the ink, once black, has lightened to a dull bronze. "They didn't look like that before," I mutter in confusion.

"They wouldn't," she informs me. "I assume my future counterpart never told you of the significance of these marks?"

I glare at the changing marks on my skin. "She said they were to contain my power until I learned to control it."

She chuckles at that, shaking her head. "That barely scratches the surface on what they are truly for, child." She rests her fingers lightly over my shoulder. "These marks are meant for protection and disguise, as well as controlling your power."

"Wait, disguise?" I whisper, my heart skipping a beat.

"Yes, disguise. Your appearance has to be that of any other mortal, but you are no mortal at all. These marks were shown to me by Hylia herself only recently, to give the one person who received more than could be handled at their birth," she whispers back, eying our surroundings.

I look into the back room to find Link kneeling before Zelda, and resting his hand in her outstretched one. "What about Zelda? I thought she was the reincarnation, wouldn't she have needed these marks?"

"And just how much power does she have now? Next to nothing, compared to the power you hold now." She gives me a pointed look, crossing her arms. "There are answers in this time you might not have a chance at finding in your own."

"No! Zelda!" Link shouts just as a golden light flares from a pedestal before him.

"Time has grown short, Lianne. From here on out, your path diverges from your brother's." She raises a brow as I open my mouth to protest. "You will go back and bring back only your new uniform and daggers. There is only one way to get the answers you seek, and I must remain here to protect Her Grace as she sleeps."

"So you're just abandoning me after all we've been through?" Link's harsh whisper from behind Lady Impa cuts like a knife. "You take me to see my best friend fall asleep frozen in crystal, and then leave me once you take me back to our original time?"

"Link, I-"

"Don't you dare lie to me," he hisses, bringing tears to my eyes. "I don't care anymore. I can do this without you," he growls as he steps through the gate.

Tears flow from my eyes as a sob tears past my lips. I try to hold it in with my hands as I clench my eyes shut, but my body trembles as they tear through my iron control. Thin, strong arms pull me into a warm embrace, and I bury my eyes into the shoulder before me.

"Shh," Impa croons, rubbing small circles into my back. "He's hurting right now, with his whole world being turned upside down all around him. He will come around," she whispers, holding me close, though a bit awkward, as though she's never held anyone before. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

_Yes, yes, I know, stupid tearjerkers. Just remember, I don't exactly go for the happy stories, and this probably won't have a happy ending._

_Don't kill me._

_I don't own Legend of Zelda._


	9. Chapter 9

Lianne POV

I take a deep breath as I leave through the side entrance of the ancient temple, pulling the white scarf over my nose more carefully, a little unused to the feel of the skin-tight fabric in comparison to the loose dresses I have always worn. The suit covers nearly every inch of my skin, leaving only the area around my eyes and ears uncovered. Then again, it hides all the scars, so I guess I can't really complain. Not to mention nobody aside from Impa would recognize me. The metallic stench of blood I've become all too familiar with over the last several years fills my nose, filtering through the fabric over my face, as a moan of pain barely reaches my ears.

"Hello?" I call quietly. A bloody hand catches my attention, dangling over the edge of the small cliff to the right just past the entrance of Faron Woods. "Hold on, I'm coming!" I call, before teleporting myself up to their side once more.

"He-help…?" the bloodied man begs quietly.

I nod as I gently pull him away from the edge, on his stomach with his green tunic soaked in blood and covered in nearly as many tears as I have scars. His eyes are clenched shut in pain, his hair picked out with light silver strands in bloody, matted bronze hair so like my own, and Link's… so much so it almost hurts. "I'm here to help," I murmur gently, finding the biggest wound to be a rather impressive gash from his right shoulder down to his left hip, and deep enough that I'm amazed he's even alive at this point. "How long have you been here?" I ask him, pulling out the red potion I had managed to cook up to heal wounds even better than the heart potion of Skyloft could produce.

I dab my fingers into the jar and run my potion-covered fingers over the wound, watching it heal instantly, barely leaving a scar, as he begins to breathe easier. "A few days, I think," he gasps, as I move on to tend to the stab wound on his leg. "I remember… seeing the land with the survivors rising… with the sword and harp."

I nod slowly. "Impa said that all of that happened six days ago," I inform him, noticing the small puddle of water he had been lying next to. "You must have been lucky to be so near to that water, or you surely wouldn't have survived this long," I muse, moving on to a shallow gash down his arm.

He breathes a chuckle. "Luckier than I've been in years." His eyes flutter open with the relief from the pain of so many wounds. "Do you have a name, or should I come up with something for you?" he asks, his pure blue eyes, although shadowed with pain and a soul-deep agony, shine with a teasing light.

I smile under the wrappings on my face. "I've given up my birth name, warrior… but you may call me Sheik if you need to give me a name."

He smiles up at me slowly. "Interesting name, young lady."

I shake my head. "It's a way for me to let go of my pain," I whisper to him, finishing with dabbing the potion on a scabbed-over cut on his cheek. "Good as new," I announce, corking the half-empty jar and putting it into my belt-pouch.

He sits up slowly with a sigh. "Thank you, Sheik," he murmurs, stretching his body slowly before rising to his feet. "Is there any way I can thank you for your assistance?"

I shrug. "I'm not sure. I came this way looking for someone, who is the Hero of the Hylians."

He grimaces slightly. "Well, you found me, Sheik."

I sigh in relief. "Thank goodness I found you when I did then, huh?" I ask rhetorically. "I'm not here asking you to fight anymore, if that's your concern. I came to you to look for answers."

"Well, I guess that suits me just fine. I'm tired of fighting," he informs me, before looking around. "I think I would rather get out of the open, and get cleaned up a little bit before we talk, if you wouldn't mind too much?"

"Of course not. I'm staying with Impa at the temple, back the way I came from, but there aren't any streams with enough water for a bath around here yet…" I frown in thought. "I think Impa will allow me to take you to another place to clean up once we get to the temple, so why don't we make our way there?"

He nods enthusiastically at the prospect of a bath, and follows me in climbing down the side of the small cliff, allowing me to lead the way through the undeveloped forest by a path that doesn't exist yet.

Impa turns to us as the door opens. "That was rather fast," she states bluntly.

"What can I say? I have great timing," I inform her as I approach, the warrior following behind. "He needs to clean up, but the land isn't developed enough for the resources he needs. Can I take him through the gate and tell him what's going on?"

Her eyes dart over to my side, staring deeply into my new friend's eyes. "Yes," she murmurs after a moment. "I see no harm in doing so. Do try to avoid your… group on the other side. I feel they will not let you return so easily."

I nod quickly. "Thank you, Lady Impa," I murmur, before turning to the man beside me. "Well, come on, let's get going." I turn and gesture to the rotating Gate of Time beside us.

He frowns slowly, but reaches out to touch the Gate, revealing the path that will lead us through over a thousand years. "Are you… sure this is a good idea?"

I smile at his worry. "There's nothing to worry about. Let's go."

He follows me through the Gate slightly hesitantly, but makes it through into a much brighter replica of the temple they just left. "What…?" he breathes as the gate closes behind them.

I smile softly at the wonder in his eyes. "Welcome to the future," I whisper, before pulling him to the side door as the main door opens, as I see the bright red hairdo of Groose as he pushes the heavy door open. "I'll introduce you to them later, there's a spring I have that I always use for bathing, it's nearby, so we don't have to go very far."


	10. Chapter 10

Lianne POV

I sit on a boulder with my back facing the spring, granting a small measure of privacy to the ancient hero as well as keeping watch while he cleans up for the first time in what I can guess to be quite a while.

"Sheik?" he calls, water splashing slightly.

I nod slowly. "Yes," I answer verbally, just in case he too has his back turned to me.

He clears his throat. "I am a little curious about just what has led to you finding me in the woods, and why you seem to be keeping your distance."

I hang my head sadly. "I… I would have had a family, once," I begin slowly after a moment of a lingering silence between us. "But a servant of the Demon King attempted to alter fate by sending a tornado after my mother, causing her to fall from the sky. An old woman living in the Sealed Temple found her when she reached the Surface, and took her in. Soon after, they realized I had fallen with her from the sky. She died shortly after having me, and the old woman raised me as her own, casting spells and binding my powers so I would be able to grow up. She trained me in the warrior arts. Seventeen years after my mother's death, and on my sixteenth birthday a month ago, the servant launched another attack upon Skyloft to alter fate yet again." He splashes through the water loudly before I hear his footsteps lightly crunching the grass by his, now clean and mended, clothes. "A girl fell through the cloud barrier, almost falling victim to enemy forces that I took care of before bringing her back to the Temple. The following day, soon after she had departed for the temple deep within these woods, a young man, clad in green, descended into the Sealed Grounds, overlooking the Demon's prison."

He moves closer to me, the rustle of fabric and clink of chain mail filtering quietly into my ears. "The Spirit Maiden and the Hero of the Goddess," he states quietly, taking a seat beside me.

"Yes," I murmur, taking a deep breath. "He knew of the possibility of what he would find down here on the Surface, but could never have imagined what the inhabitants had been dealing with for millennia, things which I grew up around. Before he arrived, he didn't know of pain, or anything beyond minor schoolyard bullies. He was trained in the way of the sword, but had hardly any practical experience in the use of this weapon. Things he took for granted were found mostly in dreams for me." I look into his eyes, finding understanding I would never find in my brother's eyes, in which I would find regret, pity, and I am certain there would be jealousy. I turn away before I continue. "I was tortured many times by the servant of the Demon, which he hardly knew until recently, and only then did he find out by chance. I knew the weapon maintenance of the Bokoblins roaming these lands only because they had captured me and I watched as they poisoned their blades as they polished them."

He gasps lightly, and I raise my eyes to see shock in his eyes. "Anyone would know that their blades are poisoned! If not, they would easily cause infections from lack of being cleaned between battles!"

I smile humorlessly, though he can't really see it. "He thought, after I informed him of this after learning he had been injured, that I was a traitor. He had been relying on me a lot after I saved his life, taking a sword to the chest for him, and believed the worst of me." I feel the tears filling my eyes again as my vision blurs with the burning in the back of my eyes.

"He's your brother, isn't he?" he asks quietly, rage in his shaking voice.

I nod. "Yes. He never would have thought that he would have a sister living in his mother's place when he arrived in this violent land."

"I ought to track him down and knock some sense into him," he grumbles, and I turn sharply to him. He chuckles darkly. "Not many know this, but I actually did have a family before, and I was privy to the contents of the prophecy. I had a sister before we were orphaned in a house fire at a rather young age. We were separated and lost to each other in the aftermath, and I was brought up a warrior. I met her soon again soon after my release from prison, and I made sure she survived to be one of those sent to what you now know to be Skyloft." I blink slowly as he looks deeply into my eyes. "She had the same eyes as you, and was named in honor of the goddess, who favored her with the gift of healing. Lianne, though she insisted on being called Lia. I also know that the Hero of this era is my reincarnation, and thus his sister, you, are my sister's reincarnation."

I shake my head slowly. "And here Impa thought that you had no family after being orphaned."

"Well, for a long time we both thought the other to be dead after the fire," he mutters to clarify where Impa would have been confused. "Neither of us ever said much to others when it came to family, other than being orphaned and not knowing if any others might have survived the fire." He then sighs. "You didn't tell me what happened to have you come searching for me."

I close my eyes. "Ever since I discovered his injury, Link became distant, even though he knew of my loyalty to the Goddess. When the Spirit Maiden, Zelda, went into her enchanted sleep, he overheard Impa telling me to come back wearing my uniform so that I could look for answers that I could never find in my own time. He… reacted badly, and said things I knew he's been bottling up for weeks."

"What… did he say?" he inquires slowly.

I let out a long breath. "He said I was abandoning him, when I didn't really want to. Said I was just leaving him after everything, especially after forcing him to see his best friend fall asleep encased in crystal. That he didn't need me, and that he… he doesn't care anymore," I whisper at the end, tears falling from my eyes once more. "He wouldn't even listen to me. He didn't let me explain!"

I can hear him moving slowly, before a warm, callused hand rests gently on my shoulder. "He is blinded by his own pain, and thus cannot see that he has caused you even greater pain," he starts slowly. "Link is unable to see that his friend is safe as she is, whereas she was unsafe before she went to sleep. He doesn't see that you have done all you could, and he doesn't appreciate how valuable family truly is. I do not blame him for his feelings, but I do not condone his lashing out at you." The hand moves to lift my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "You are just as much a victim in all of this as Zelda, as he himself. He just has yet to either see or accept it." I nod in understanding, but it doesn't make it hurt any less, and I can tell he knows it. "It will always hurt, no matter what. It's what you do over time to dull the pain, and how you move on that will tell you what you must do next," he whispers, pulling me into a warm embrace, allowing me to cry into his shoulder.

Ancient Era Link POV

I just hold my many-times over niece, and reincarnated sister, cry herself out in my arms. Were it up to me, I would hunt down my reincarnation and challenge him to a duel for doing this to his own family, but I know it would be most unwise. For now, I have to help put together the pieces of the little sister he's thoroughly broken where the Demon's servant was unable to do so. It makes my blood boil at the thought that she's been so obviously hurt and it took so long for anyone to take notice, where I could tell almost instantly, and had it confirmed so quickly. How far that torture went… I'm not sure I even want to know, for it must have been bad in comparison to what was done to the traitors and spies in the past.

Her sobs ease, and her breathes even out, and I sigh in relief, glad she's cried herself to sleep. It makes it easier to get her back to the temple, and out of the open where we could be attacked at any given time. I just hope she's able to let go of the pain of betrayal, and better than I was able to after my own imprisonment.

I lift her carefully in my arms, and begin the slow trek along the winding path back to the temple, marveling all the way at how similar, yet different this world is compared to the ruins of my own. I just wonder how such a beautiful world could be so tainted with greed, and evil such as the Demon King and his servants. How they could be so cruel to such an open-hearted, pure being as the one I hold.

How could a family tear itself apart so easily?

By not caring, and I wish it weren't so.


	11. Chapter 11

Lianne POV

I stare out over the land from the perch on top of the newly-made Sealed Grounds, where Hylia has only recently imprisoned that Demon. Her memories wash over me as I stand so close to where she stood, where she cast one of her final spells. Before she bound herself and Link into an eternal cycle to defeat the darkest being in history.

"You look deep in thought," the young Impa calls from below.

I glance down at her. "More like recalling the past," I correct her after a moment of silence. I can feel the death still lingering in the air, screams of the dead and survivors alike echo in my ears as I gaze upon the scorched remains of the once magnificent kingdom. "Recalling the tragedy Demise wrought upon this once prosperous kingdom."

She jumps up to the roof to join me. "Your memories are merging with hers, now that you are in her domain, seeing her last sights. Not even the Spirit Maiden has seen outside of the Temple yet."

I smile bitterly from behind my face wrappings. "She shouldn't have to see what became of this land. The memories would hurt her far more than help her."

Impa sighs after a moment of empty silence. "You have your answers?" she asks at last.

"Not quite yet," I admit quietly as Link slowly exits the temple, the silver hairs lightening his dark blonde hair almost unnoticeably. "He knows the answers I seek, but I won't push him. He needs time to recover from his own battles."

"You know there may not be much time left. You know you'll have to return to your own era soon," she informs me, pleading with her eyes for me to learn what I need to know.

I shake my head slowly. "I've been thinking not to return, Impa. I don't truly belong in my own era anymore. I won't be welcomed."

"Why do you insist on isolating yourself? Staying away from your own world?" she asks at last, exasperation the only thing prompting her to ask this of me.

"This is my world. With the power I hold, I could live forever. I could do anything but join a society I was never a part of." I wave to Link as he waves up at us with a smile. "I know more of Sheikah tradition than I do Hylian, more battle tactics and maneuvers than social skills. Even though I was born Hylian, I am now a Sheikah."

She huffs, frowning at my unwillingness to do as she says. "If that's how you feel, then I won't stop you. But I recommend that you make a decision soon."

Link POV

"Fi?" I call quietly, my soul reentering my body after retrieving the second piece of the Triforce.

She appears before me, somewhat distant still after what happened when Zelda went to sleep. "Yes, Master?" she asks in her monotonous way.

"Is… is there a way for you to tell me if Lianne is alright?" I ask slowly.

Her lips curve slightly in a small, reserved smile. "I can only say that she will be alright, but not for a long time."

I nod slowly in acceptance. "I wish I hadn't said those things to her," I admit softly. "I don't know why I blew up on her, I just… something in me just broke when I heard that she wouldn't be around anymore…" I stare at her, the guilt eating me alive easing just that slightest bit. "I was wrong when I said I didn't need her. She could have guided me through everything and Zelda would have been home by now."

She floats closer to me, and somehow seems gentler for the first time in the two weeks we've been without my sister accompanying us. "That you regret it is something that will tell her you do still care." She seems to hesitate for a moment. "We can try to find her now, if you so wish. I sense no threat from the Imprisoned at the moment, nor will there be a threat in the next few days. You could take the time to find her."

I close my eyes and sigh. "I want to, more than anything, tell her how sorry I am. But… I can't risk the Imprisoned becoming a threat because I was distracted."

"She will understand, in the end," Fi whispers gently, before vanishing back into the Master Sword.

I nod slowly, first in agreement, then in determination. I will find her, after all of this is over, and I won't stop until I do find her.

Lianne POV

"Link?" I call as I step out of the area that will, in a thousand years, become my room.

He turns to me with a tilted head. "Yes?"

I set my shoulders, and close my eyes. "Do you… do you know how to reach the Deep Woods?"

He nods slowly. "I remember patrolling the area for my first assignment after training. Why?"

"I think I need to see something there." He frowns at that. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling it's important."

He sighs after a moment. "I'll take you there at dawn, then. But what do you know about the Deep Woods?"

I shrug helplessly. "In my time, at the end of the path in the Deep Woods was Skyview Temple, through which you would go to get to the Forest Spring."

He nods in understanding. "There isn't anything surrounding the spring there, the last time I checked, only the forest. It was used as a sanctuary for the injured, a field hospital, since it was unable to be found by Demise's hordes."

I nod slowly. "It makes sense that they wouldn't be able to gain entry," I murmur slowly. "The ancient blessings would be too pure for them to enter the area. They would only be able to surround the area, but never enter."

His eyes widen suddenly. "I think I need to see the temple in your time. There may be something there that could help you here."

I frown at that, but shrug. "What are you thinking?"

He takes a moment to collect his thoughts. "The writings you've gone through that were hidden in the temple, you claim them to be in a script you barely understand. But if someone of your era were able to read the tablets around the temples with ease, then maybe you had something to do with it. You would know the language of that era, and could have been the one to create the temples."

I blink slowly at that. "Legend has it they were created by the Goddess Hylia, but none of them said if it was the Goddess before her death, or one of her reincarnations." I tilt my head back. "If that's the case, then I hope you'll be willing to help me out a bit."

"Anything for you, Sheik."


	12. Chapter 12

Link POV

As I reach the main entrance of the temple under the statue, I just stop, standing over the tablet to control the layout of this place.

Why do I have such a hard time with keeping to my decision? Lianne will be okay for a few more days, she would want me to gather the Triforce to eliminate Demise. She would understand, but I don't know if she would forgive me. How can Fi have such conviction? I can't even forgive myself for what I said. She always wanted to know me, and always wanted me to be there for her, I can see that now, but wat if I pushed her too far? What if I can never find her? I don't deserve to be forgiven, or to have a second chance, but I can't help but at least hope for it.

Clenching my eyes shut, I call for Fi. "Is… is waiting really the best choice, Fi?"

She appears before me, a sad expression on her usually blank face. "I cannot determine the likelihood of waiting have a positive or negative impact on your familial relationship."

I stare into her eyes, and nod. "I'll go for a day, and look for her, but then I have to come back and finish the Triforce."

"Very well, Master," she whispers. "She may be found in Faron Province, but time is of the essence. She is sealing herself away, becoming who she once was, and who she has yet to become."

"It's my fault for this, but I won't let her forget," I promise as she vanishes, and charge back out of the temple, diving straight down and calling for my Crimson Loftwing, the sky and clouds blurring as we seem to appear over the green pillar of light in no time at all. The wind hardly bothers me as I go straight for the top of the great tree.

Lianne POV

I look over to my ancestor as he inspects the temple entrance. "This is definitely work that blends Sheikah and Hylia's magic. I can see the materials used in Hylia's blessed items, but I see the signature in the protection and puzzles."

I sigh. "So that means that only someone with knowledge of both could stand a chance of doing this?"

"Yes," he answers distractedly, inspecting the diamond I removed from the ceiling of the entryway. "Something about this also tells me someone from a different era than my own created this seal, I just can't quite put my finger on it."

"Well, you have been subjected to many encounters with magic, maybe you've developed a sensitivity to it?" I approach him and rest my hand on it, feeling the magic tingle under my hand in a familiar warmth. "It has my signature, albeit a bit more mature, but I could sense my own work anywhere. And it's also holding something within…" I close my eyes, and images flash before my eyes, the last time I saw my brother, before they seem unreal, and I feel almost nothing at seeing them. I let out a slow breath as I rise. "Memories, some of the most painful, have been stored here in the past, and again in the now."

He puts a hand over the crystal beside where I rested my own hand a moment ago. "I can see your memories, but as though I was there as a spectator."

A sword being drawn catches my attention, and I turn my gaze over my shoulder without a care, recognizing the Hero as he stares at us in confusion. "I think we should take a closer look at the temple, Knight," I murmur, offering my hand and pulling him to his feet and leading him inside the temple.

Link glares at my brother, who I can't hear follow us, even as I seal the doors behind us, preventing any entry to this temple ever again. "None will ever enter this place again, unless they are truly in need of the spring," I whisper, before my brother pounds uselessly on the stone doors, the cracks sealed as though it was only ever a single stone, carved purely for decoration.

We go deeper into the temple, and Link sees where damage was inflicted by the passage of time, and where the original path to the spring has fallen away, both in the earth and in the stone path. "The earth trembled with the might of the Demon King's wrath. If his return was as abrupt, it would have had the strength to create this rift," he murmurs. "I can almost feel his power behind the degradation of this place."

I nod slowly. "At least he didn't have the strength to destroy this place altogether. Even the most unholy have uses for the purest of creations."

Link stares at me as he takes my hand, and I blink as we reappear on the far side of the canyon within the temple, in the antechamber to the spring. The doors open with a wave of my magic, and remain open, as nobody will ever pass through until there is a need of this place. And by then, maybe the temple will crumble like the earth under Demise's reign once did.

Ancient Era Link POV

Her red eyes almost scare me, as though she's no longer the same person who saved my life so recently. Could she have unknowingly given up her memories, the ones I know have been plaguing her since before we met? Is she truly giving up her own world?

Is she giving up?

That boy, who now wields the sword I once did, has no idea what he's done. He's barely more than a child, he doesn't understand war in its entirety, not like she and I do. He's hardly what I would call a warrior, even though he has to have gone through the spirit realms Hylia created with my own nightmares. He may think himself a warrior, but he is barely a man, hardly worthy to carry the Master Sword I labored over to reforge, a gift and task given by Hylia herself.

How could such a strong family have resulted in this disaster?

"We should head back," I murmur to Sheik, who's true name I have yet to learn, and probably never will.

She nods. "I know what I need to from this place. We'll leave through the spring itself."

Before I know it, we're back at the Sealed Grounds, on a platform overlooking a Pit with a white, engraved pedestal in the heart of a blackened pattern in the grass. "I see you have found what you sought," an ancient, cracking voice murmurs from behind us. It's a small, elderly Sheikah woman, long braid wrapped around her head and curled into a pendulum before her, most of her features lost to time with wrinkles and hidden behind a cowl.

"Yes, Lady Impa," she murmurs, bowing deeply as I copy her movement. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she asks, and I wonder what she means.

The woman sighs. "I did, and as much as I wish I could have saved you this pain, I always remembered that there was nothing I could do."

A bulky boy about Link's age comes up behind her. "Granny, why does this guy look like an older version of the shrimp? And who's in the getup?"

She chuckles quietly. "Groose, this is an Ancient Warrior, an old friend of mine whom I've greatly missed, the Hero of Lore, Knight Link of Hylia's realm." She then gestures to Sheik. "This is the Guide, Sheik, as she travels through the eras, protecting the line of the Hero and the Spirit Maiden, never to return to her former self."


	13. Epilogue

Princess Zelda POV

_I stare at Sheik as she stares at Link, the Hero of my Era, before she nods and turns to rest a hand on Groose's cheek._

"_You will never remember her again, Groose," she whispers in a hauntingly familiar voice, before a flash of sadness fills her red eyes. "You will be happy with another."_

_Link chokes at the voice, and I want to cry as he tries to approach her, but she steps back, and another, older version of Link steps in front of her, sky blue eyes hard and cold as ice. "You will respect her choice, and you will live with your actions," he addresses Link coldly._

_Link's head falls, and I can see a tear fall down his cheek, shame and regret all I can see in my lifelong friend. "Li… Sheik… I can't say sorry enough to ever unsay what I did… but I hope I can someday redeem myself," he whispers, before he turns away, and Groose and I follow him through the Gate for the last time._

My eyes open slowly, and I see nothing but the darkness of Twilight through my window, and the reality of this world trickles back.

My name is Princess Zelda, ruling figure of Hyrule, many thousand years after the legend of the creation of the Blade of Evil's Bane. Days ago, two figures appeared before me in my office for a private audience, the exact image of the Ancient Hero and Sheik as in my dreams. The guardians of my line, unseen for centuries, and thought to have moved on from this world, and guardians of the line of the Hero.

They warned of the Usurper King, of Darkness falling over the land once more, and a single chance for the line of the Hero to be redeemed, and the lines to once more come together. They left me with no more than those fearsome words, and I can't help but to hope that the legends from my namesake, Zelda of the Goddess Isles, were right about the possible origins of Sheik.

The Second Hero's Sister.

**I will need ten reviews or more for a sequel!**


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